306 



DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SHRUBS 



Grevillea robusta. Gkkvillea (5.'>8), the so-called Silk 'Oak,' is a 

 beautiful fern-leaved plant which in the open in the extreme South forms 

 a tall tree. It is usually cultivated as a pot plant, and in this condition 

 has its greatest beauty when less than 10 feet hiyh, so it is raised each 

 year from seeds. The flowers and fruit are small and inconspicuous, and, 

 of course, do not appear on these youni^ plants. Very ornamental as 

 a foliage plant. [Seeds.] 



Phoradendron flavlscens. The American Mistletoe (5.39) grows wild 

 as a parasitic plant on several deciduous trees, more frequently on the SoUr 



Gum and the Red Maple, and is gathered 

 for Christmas decorations. It grows in 

 large dense bunches, with opposite, entire, 

 fleshy, yellowish-green evergreen leaves and 

 stems, and small white globular berries. 



[Seeds.] 



Fig. 541. — Chinese Ehn. 



540. — Common Boxwood. 



Biixus. The Boxwoods or Box 

 Trees are extensively cultivated ever- 

 green shrubs or small trees with small 

 opposite entire leaves. They are dense 

 but slow growing plants, frequently 

 used for pruning into fantastic shapes and as borders to flower beds and 

 paths. There are a score of named varieties differing in size of leaves and 

 tallness of growth. The flowers and fruit are inconspicuous. 



The tallest growing form sometimes reaches the height of 25 feet. Tree 

 Box or Common Boxw^ood (540) — Buxils semp^rvirens, — with square, 

 and somewhat hairy stems and rounded leaves | to 1 ] inch long. This 

 species has several forms with variegated foliage : arg^nteo-marginata, 

 white-edged; aiireo-marginata, yellow-edged ; aiirea, yellow-leaved. The 

 smallest gi'ovving form of this Chinese species is suffruticosa (nana). A 

 less hardy species growing to the height of feet with more wedge-shaped 

 leaves is the Japan Box — Buxus japonica, — this also has several color 



